One of Michigan’s richest communities snags $790k from new state budget

A village boasting the highest median income in the state sought $988,000 from Michigan’s 2027 budget and got most of it.

The budget legislators approved gave the local government $790,000 to replace its water infrastructure.

That money is designed to fix the water system in Barton Hills Village, just miles from Ann Arbor. The village has a median household income above $250,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2020 Census reported 316 residents in the village.

The median household income in Michigan is $72,389, according to the same Census Bureau publication.

Rep. Jennifer Conlin, D-Ann Arbor, submitted the spending request. Conlin did not respond to an emailed request for comment from Michigan Capitol Confidential.

“The purpose of the requested appropriation is to replace and strengthen aging water utility infrastructure within Barton Hills Village, who is the operator of the public water supply, to improve public safety and reliability,” Conlin wrote in a document submitted to House leaders in support of the earmark. “Barton Hills Village currently provides drinking water and fire protection flow to the public through infrastructure that is over 90 years old in many areas. We are seeking to replace fire hydrants, system control gate valves, and upgrade the water tower. This will provide increased public safety through a more reliable fire protection system as well as safe delivery of clean drinking water. Replacing aging and broken valves will allow the water supply to properly control the flow of water.”

Local water recipients, not the state taxpayers, should cover the cost to operate and maintain water systems, James Hohman, director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told CapCon in an email.

“The costs to operate and maintain water systems should fall on its users and shouldn’t be shouldered by state taxpayers,” Hohman wrote. “And the residents of this village ought to be able to afford the costs of their municipal infrastructure.”

LDSI from Rep. Jennifer Conlin for Barton Hills Village (2) by mcclallen

Barton Hills Village did not respond to a request for comment. The median home value in the village came to $1.41 million in 2024.